Brush-holding device.



E. M. TINGLEY. I

BRUSH HOLDING DEVICE;

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1. 1917 1,248,574. Patented Dec. 4,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. M. TINGLEY.

BRUSH HOLDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 1. 1911 Patented Dec. 4, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHE 2- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EGBERT 1a. TINGLEY, or EAST oRAnGnNEw JERSEY, assicNoR-ro srm'rnoar ELECTRICAL cor/many, or NEWARK, New JERSEY,

zsnosmnonzome DEvIcE.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known thatI, EGBERT M. TINGLEY, citizen of the United States, residing at East Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brush- Holding Devices, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to brush holding devices for dynamo electric machines and consists of certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts to be more fully explained and set forth hereinafter.

A brush holder of this character in which the features of my invention are embodied is especially suited for use in connection with motors and generators of comparatively small sizes andcapacities such as the numerous types employed as a part of the equipment of autovehicles for-the purposes of starting, lighting, battery charging and the like. Yet, while for the purpose of illustrating one phase of its service said invention is herein described with particular reference to such motors and generators, I am well aware that it is capable of much broader application, and may find use in ma chines of other types and for other purposes.

Among the objects of this invention is to produce a brush holder that is cheap and easy to manufacture, being formed substantially of punched parts.-

Another object is to obtain a holder of this character which, by reason of its construction and attachment to the dynamo machine, requires a minimum amount of space, thereby economizing in room and simplifying the end bearing plate design.

Still another object is to provide a device in which the resistance of the electrical circuit leading to the brushes is greatly reduced, and which also maintains a constant pressure on the commutator throughout the wearing life of the brush, with substantially no angular shift of said brush as wearing takes place.

These and other objects will be better understood after having considered the following description, together with the accompanying drawings whichform a part of this specification, and in which like characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is an end view of a dynamo mashia uch a a start ng motor, showing th Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 4, 1917.

Application filed Februar 7, 1917. Serial No. 147,022.

frame in section, and illustrating an embodiment of my invention as assembled in position on the motor.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 but showing an alternative construction of brush holder.

Fig. 3 is a view of the brush holder sup porting member as it is blanked out of fiat stock. I

Fig. 4: is a perspective view showing the supporting member after it has been formed and shaped ready to receive the brush holder part as seen in Fig.2.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the brush holder clamp illustrating the manner of connecting the current carrying conductors to said holder-gin the embodiment of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the brush holder in the embodiment of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 7 is a diagram of the electrical circuit showing the relative connections of armature and field for the dynamo machine shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 is the frame ofa dynamo electric machine, in this case a motor, of the round body type, yet my invention is not limited specifically to round body machines. Attached to body 1 are pole pieces 2, 3, 41, and 5 having respectively field coils 6, 7, 8, and 9. The machine shown,-being designed as a starting motor is preferably of the series type, the field coils 6, 7 8, and 9 consisting of a few turns each of heavy bar copper. One method of connecting up these coils is exemplified in Fig. 7 wherein said coils are divided into two groups of two coils each in series and the groups then connected in parallel. Coils 6 and 9 are joined in series having their free ends brought out at-a and 5. Likewise coils 7 and 8 are in series their free ends being brought out at 0 and d, (Fig. 1). The method of winding and connecting the field coils forms no part of my invention, and is described merely for the purpose of giving a clearer conception of the circuit diagrammatically shown in Fig. 1.

, 10 is the motor shaft upon which is mounted an armature 11 and a commutator 12 The frame 1 is provided with two holes through which are passed two connecting studs13 and 14. Said stud 13.is insulated from frame 1 by insulating bushing 15 and washers 16 and 17. A metallic washer 18 adjacent insulating washer '17 protects the latter from being injured by lockwasher 19 when nut 20 are set up to secure said stud rigidly in place. As willhereinafter be eX-.

plained this stud 13 serves as one of the terminals of the machine. The other of said studs 14: is provided with a metallic bushing 21 and metallic washer 22. In this manner stud '14 is in direct electrical contact with the frame 1.

. Considering the brush holder which constitutes the essential partof this invention, there is seenin Fig. 1 two similar members 23 and 24 which are blanked out of flat metal and subsequently formed to assume a circularshapeconforming to the interior surface of easing 1. lVhile being so formed lugs 25 and ears 26 are turned upwardly as shown in the'figure. These members 23 and 2d serve as brush holder supports andare adapted to be mounted directly upon the frame of the machine in proper alinement with the commutator. For this purpose the supporting members have tapped holes therein which are engaged by screws 27 passing through the casing 1 and securing said members thereto. Hinged to lugs 25, as by means of pivot pins 28 and 29 and lugs 30 and 31 respectively are two arms 32 and 33. Riveted to said arms 32 and 33 as by suitable rivets 3d are the brush holding members 35 and 3.6 respectively. Arm 32 and holder 35 are electrically insulated from each other by fiber strips 37 and bushings 38. In the case of arm 33 and holder 36 no insulation is used therebetween for a. reason to be explained hereinafter. 39 and &O are two springs having several turns about the corresponding pins 28 and 29, and with their free ends engaging supports 23, 24L and arms 32 and 33 respectively. Ears 26, previously mentioned and similar ears 41 formed on arms 32 and 33 serve to retain said springs in their proper working position. These springs are made of good material and owing to the generous length of their 'eX- tending ends made possible by my construction, maintain a substantially uniform pres sure of the brush 'on the commutator throughout their working range. The members 35 and 36 have their ends bent over. as at 42, and are each formed with a pair of ears 43. A punched piece 4:4 riveted into each of the members 35 and 36 forms a clamping socket into which the brushes 45 and 46 are fixed. lVhen set in place, brushes 4-5 and 4:6 are firmly clamped by bolts 4;? passing through holes therein and screwing into the member 44. Observing Fig. 5 these bolts are seen to be unsymmetrically situated to avoid any danger of inserting the brush the Wrong way especially where brushes adapted for only one directionof rotation are employed. By this construction of holder the brushes are firmly clamped m position and also have a large contact surface with said holder which gives a low resistance that is not changed as thebrush wears out. I also do away with pigtails connected to the brush which are liable to be of comparatiyely high resistance and also in crease the manufacturing cost of the brush. To this end there is provided heavy flexible conductors d8, one pair of which join the member 35 directly to the ends a and a of the field windings. The other pair of conductors 5L8 likewisejoin the brush holding member 36 to the grounded bolt 14, being suitably soldered thereto. At the brush end said conductors are firmly clamped by ears L3, as seen in Fig. 5, and then soldered to give a permanent and low resistance joint. The ends a. and c of the field winding are secured and soldered to said flexible conductors in any suitable way as by means of a. clamp -49. The other ends of the field winding, 6 and (1 are similarly clamped to a pair of heavy flexible condi'lctors 50, the other ends of which are soldered to the in sulated stud 13. e The ends Z2 and cl are brought out from the coils at a point substantially diametrically opposite to the ends a. and 0 but in order not to interfere with any of the brush holder parts they are bent over and carried to a point where there is more room available for connection with conductors 50, as seen in the figure.

Considering the circuit, current from some source, as a battery B seen in Fig. 7, is led to ground. The stud 14: being in common ground relation therewith, current then flows from stud 14 through the heavy conductors L8 to brush 46, thence through armature 11 to brush 45, conductors 4:8 and to the field at a and 0. After traversing the field coils the current is then led to post 13 by conductors 50, and thence by a suit able external conductor to switch S and back to the battery. It will be noted that, in my construction, the internal connections made possible thereby are such that the resistance is reduced to a minimum. Among the features that bring. about this desirable end is the liberal amount of conducting material afforded by the brush holder parts adjacent to the brush itself, and also the improved manner of providing good connections between the field coils and brush holder. By affording such low resistance circuits and by locating the contacts in intimate association with the brush only certain parts of the holding device are required to carry current. Consequently, if desirable, certain otherparts such as supports 23, 2d, and arms 32, may be made of any suitable material such as steel, thereby reducing considerably the cost ofmanufacture.

The merit of a construction of this character, wherein good contacts and low resist ance. circuits are provided, will readily be recognized, especially in the case of starting motors where a heavy current is of the utmost importancef Again by clamping the brush permanently to the holder there is no relative motion with respect toth'e holder as the brush wears, and consequently no in creased resistance or sticking dueto the presence of carbon. dust. Since I have shown in Fig, 1 a brush holder construction adapted to a grounded system it is evident that there is no necessity of insulating the holder for brush 46 from the frame of the machine. Howcvera 'nongrounded circuit may be used, in which case the members 33 and 36 would be insulated as shownand described in connection withthe other brush holder. Y Another feature resides in the mounting of the arcuated supports 23 and 24 directly on the casing of the machine. This permits the radial space between the commutator and frame to beadvantageously usedwith the result that the several parts are not cramped and confined to a limited space as has heretofore been'thecommonpractice. Again the length of the motor may be made considerably lessand the end bearing plate of much simpler construction, since by my improved device said plate is not called upon to support any parts of the brushholder, has no terminal posts, and can there fore, be removed without disturbing any of the elements within. Due to the necessity of economizing as much as possible in space in autovehicle practice motors and generators are mounted in'such inaccessible positions that it is often necessary to remove the entire machine in order to perform whatever adjustments or repair of the brushes that may be necessary, Considering this fact and also that my construction makes the removal of the end plate an easy matter it willbe seen that adjustment and re pair may be accomplished in machines embodying my construction with a facility equally as great as inthose machines having strap covered window-s and like schemes, all of which add to cost andoccupy valuable space. I

By utilizing the above described brush holder I find that the resistance of-the circuit is so materially reduced that I amenabled to use but two brushes in connection with starting motors with very satisfactory results. Another feature is that the parts are so arranged that when the supporting members 23' and 24 are screwed in position on the frame the axis pins 28 and 29' are disposed in a plane substantially tangent to the commutator at the mid-point of the brush. This assures a minimum amount of change of the brushs shift throughout its Wearing life. Inthe necessity of adjusting the brush lead there are provided extra screw holes 51. Ifdesirable slots may be out insupports 23 and 24 instead of said Sdi'ew holes and suitable nuts be provided for screws 27, whereby any desired angular adjustment of the brushes may be obtained. I- have alsodesi'gned the arms 32 and 33 so that their ends extend s'omewhat,,as at 52 and 53. These ends can be adjusted by bending so as to engage their respective supporting members 23 and 24 so that the clamping members 42 and H are"prevented from contacting the surface of the commutato'r when the brush has become worn out.

In Fig. 2the-fre is shown another embodiment of my invention. Here a singlesupporting member 54 is designed to carry both brush'holde'rs, being otherwise of similar construction to members 23 and 24. The electrical connections leading to the brush holders are seen to differ from the showing of Fig. 1 in that the flexible conductors 48 have been replaced by conductors 55 of strip copper. One of said strips is riveted between member-35- and a piece 56, being soldered' to give a good joint. The other of said strips'55 is riveted between members 33 and 36. I It will be obvious to others skilled in'the art that various changes may be effected, and I therefore do not wish to be restricted to the details of construction shown and described.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is a 1, In a dynamo electric machine having a field frame, pole pieces and windings therefor, a brush holder including in combination, an arcuated support mounted upon said field frame and provided with upturned lugs'thereon, an arm having lugs thereon and means cobperating with both sets of lugs whereby said arm is pivotally mounted upon said support, a second arm fastened to and actuated by said first arm and having a portion of its end overturned, a member fastened to said second arm and coacting- With the overturned portion thereof to form a receptacle for a brush, means for securely clamping the brush in position, connecting means integral with said second arm whereby the same is connected directly to said windings, and resilient means tending to rotate said first arm about its pivotal support.

In a dynamo electric machine having a field frame,*pole pieces and windings therefor, a brush, holder including in combination, a supporting member conforming'to and mounted directly upon the surface of said frame, an arm having lugs thereon, a pivot member coacti'ng with said-lugs and also with similar lugson said supporting member whereby said arm is pivotally mounted upon said supporting membenfa second arm'f'astened to said first arm but insulated there-fronrand having its endarmed and adapted to receive a brush, means for securely clamping said brush in position, integral ears upturned on said second arm in close proximity withsaid brush for the purpose of connecting said windings directly to said second arm, and a coiled spring arranged about saidpivot member and acting upon said first mentioned arm, thereby tending to rotate the same together with said second arm about said pivot member.

3. In a dynamo electric machine having a field frame, an armature and a commutator therefor, a brush holder including in combination, a supporting member conforming to and mounted directly upon the inner surface of saidframe, an arm and hinging means for pi votallymountin g the same upon said supporting member, a second arm fastened to the first arm and having a portion of its end overturned, a member parallel to and coacting with the overturned portion to form a socket for a brush and screw means for clamping the brush in position, said screw means being unsymmetrical-with respect to said socket whereby said brush cannot be improperly inserted, means comprising a portion of said second arm for connecting current conveying meansin close proximity with said brush, and a resilient member disposed about said hinging means and acting upon said first arm to press said brush against the commutator, said hinging means lying in a plane substantially tangent to the commutator at the mid-point of the brush whereby as said brush wears the shift thereofis reduced to a minimum.

4. In a dynamo electric machine having a field frame and a commutator, a brush holder including in combination, a supporting member mounted directly on the inner surface of said frame in alinement with the commutator and provided with upstanding lugs, anarm having lugs thereon and a pivot pin connecting the same with the lugs on said supporting member whereby said arm is pivotally attached to the supporting member, means fastened to said arm having a brush securely clamped thereto, and Ya spring coacting between the supporting member and said arm to hold the brush in its working position on the commutator, said arm having an extension adapted to engage said supporting member to limit the pivotal motion of said arm when the brush becomes worn out, said supporting member being adjustable for the purpose of effecting a shift of said brush.

5. In a dynamo electric machine having a round field frame and a commutator, a brush holder including in combination, an arcuatcd support mounted directly upon the inner surface of said frame, twoarms fastened together but insulated from each other, one of said arms being provided with clamp ngm ans ad p ed to. receiv brush and also integral lugs adapted to receive current carrying conductors, the other of said arms being hinged to said support for rotary movement, and a spring coacting between the support and said last mentioned arm for the purpose of maintaining said brush in proper working relation with the commutator, said last mentioned arm and said support each having an upturned ear serving to retain the ends of said spring in position.

6. In a dynamo electric machine having a field frame and a commutator, a brush holding device including in combination, an adjustable support conforming to and mounted directly upon the inner surface of said frame, means having a hinged connection with said support and projecting at both ends from said connection, one of said pro jections being provided with brush clamping means, and a resilient member mounted on said hinged connection serving to urge said brush clamping means toward the commutator, the other of said projections cooperating with said support to prevent said clamping means from coming in contact with said commutator, as described.

7. The combination with. the field frame and commutator of a dynamo electric machine, of a brush holding device including a supporting base adjustably mounted on the inner surface of said frame, brush clamping means and current carrying conductor clamping means integrally associated with each other and pivotally supported by said base, means for urging said brush clamping means toward the commutator, and means including said base to prevent said clamping means from coming in actual contact with the commutator.

8. In a dynamo electric machine having a field frame, field windings, and a commutator, a brush holding device including in combination, an adjustable support conforming to and mounted directly upon the inner surface of said frame, means having a hinged connection with said support, and projecting on either side of said connection, one of sald projections being provided with brush clamping means, flexible conductors connecting the field windings directly to said brush clamping means, and a resilient member mounted on said hinged connection serving to urge said brush clamping means toward the commutator, the other of said projections cooperating with said support to prevent said clamping means from coming in contact with said commutator, as described. I

9. In a dynamo electric machine having a commutator, field frame, field windings and terminal posts, a brush holding device including in combination, supporting means adjustably mounted on the inner surface of said frame, brush clamping means pivotally "supported by said supporting means, means for urging said brush clamping means toward the commutator, means including said supporting means to prevent said clamping means from coming in actual contact With the commutator, and current carrying conductors extending from both the field Windings and terminal posts to the brush clamping means, as described.

10. In a dynamo electric machine having a field frame, field coils and terminal posts,

an arcuated support mounted upon said frame, a pair of brush holders mounted on said arcuated support one of which is insulated from said field frame, said brush holders being formed to receive suitable brushes, and current carrying conductors leading directly from the field coils and terminal posts to said brush holders.

In Witness whereof I affix my signature. 2o

EGBERT M. TiNGLEY.

Copies of this patent mav be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. 0. 

